“Trust has come to the fore, and we’ve yet to be stung. In the hyper-connected social media world we’re offered a hundred windows through which to view our associates. Twitter showed me the wedding pictures of two of our web developers and the childcare strife of one of our main sponsors. To some this is an erosion of privacy, to us this strengthens bonds with distant partners and leads to better trust decisions.”

“Mainstream movie goers are not a community… Nothing unites them except a mass media awareness of what films are being released by major companies. There’s no charm or personality in going to a multiplex, it’s purely a homogenised business transaction. You spend as little time in the lobby as possible and feel no connection to the people around you, or the company showing the film. Audiences for independent, foreign and classic films, despite disparate backgrounds and interests, are united simply be being in the minority and being used to having to work to search out and discover the films that they find most enjoyable and fulfilling, A person’s response to a movie is personal, it is unique, and it is something that people like to share and talk about.”

Catharine des Forges: “One of the observations I would make from thye point of view of the Lodon Film Festival is it seems oike the more people are able to watch films in a very individual priveate way, it’s almost the greater the desire for the collective, communical ezperience. If you look at what’s happened with the reinvigoration of music festivals, or the huge success of literary festivals, it seems like there’s a real desire to find communities and share experiences. For the film industry that’s a very positive thing.”

Danny Perkins: “The first reaction to any new platform or format is to panic, but the opportunity with digital is that you can offer so much more choice and you can expose people to a broader range of cinema. So hopefully their tastes will change. I think it’s a lifestyle choice, whether you go to see a live band, or you go to the cinema, there’s still a demand. I think there’s nothing better than seeing a film with a packed house in a big screen, and sharing that experience with someone.”